Chain conveyer for unloading cars



(No Model.)

J. M. DODGE.

CHAIN GONVEYER FOR UNLOADING CARS.

No. 396,197. Patented Jan. 15, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JAMES M. DODGE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO THE DODGE COAL STORAGE COMPANY, OF NAUGATUOK,

CONNECTICUT.

CHAIN CONVEYER FOR UNLOADING CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 396,197, dated .Ianuary15,1889.

Application filed July 23, 1888. Serial No. 280,701. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES M. DODGE, of Philadelphia, in the county ofPhiladelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImproved Chain Oonveyer for Unloading Cars; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this application.

My invention relates to an improvement in that class or species ofchain-conveyer apparatuses which is usually employed for taking the coalwhich is discharged successively from the cars of a coal-train through asuitable spout or chute into a pit and conveying the same obliquelyupward to a given'point of elevation, from which the coal is destined todescend by gravity to fill or supply locom0- tive-engines or otherreceptacles. In this class or species of contriva-nces, as is wellknown, it is customary to have an endless chain conveyer with the lowerend of its trough located in the pit in such manner as to have thetrough feed or supply coal through asuitable spout or chute, into whichthe coal is dumped from dumps or cars which travel on surface railway, aportion of which is located immediately over and transversely of the 0pit, into which the lowermost portion of the conveyer-trough descends,and as heretofore constructed or arranged both runs of the endlessconveyer-chain have been located at the lower end of the conveyer withinthe pit and 3 5 beneath the track on which the dump or car has to standto discharge its contents into the feed-spout of the conveyer. Thisusual construction involves a certain depth of pit and a certain amountof ground-room in order to get the proper degree of inclination to theascending trough of the conveyer with a given elevation from the upperend or point of discharge, and, furthermore, involves the (lischarge ofthe coal fed to the conveyer in contact with the upper run of theflighted chain, in order to feed the trough with which the lower run ofthe chain co-operates. Not only is the depth of the pit and theground-space thus rendered necessar *greater thanis oftentimes desirableor convenient, but, furthermore, considerable wear and tear in themachinery and sometimes clogging of the chain and other difficultiesarise from the feeding of the coal onto and through the upper run of thechain in order to fill the conveyor-trough in combination, with asuitable pit and feedspout located immediately beneath the track uponwhich the surface cars or dumps to sup ply the coal are to be run, of anordinary 7o trough chain conveyerhaving its lower run and trough locatedat the lowermost portion thereof in the pit and beneath the car-track,but having the upper run of its tlighted chain pass round about and overboth the track and the car or cars to be run thereon to supply the coal,or, in other words, havin its endless chain arranged in a circuit whichcompletely encompasses the surface railroad and coal car or dumpnecessary to be used thereon for Sothe supply of coal, all as will behereinafter more fully explained, and as will be more particularlypointed out in the claim of this specification.

To enable those skilled in the art to which my improvement relates toperfectly under-- stand and practice the same, I will now proceed todescribe my invention, referring by letters to the accompanyingdrawings, which form part of this specification, and in which I haveshown my improved apparatus or contrivance in vertical sectionalelevation at Figure '1, and at Fig. 2 in an end- "iew or elevationlooking in the direction indicated by the arrow at Fig. 1.

In both figures the same parts will be found designated by the sameletters of reference.

C is a pit for the accommodation of the lowermost portion of an ordinarytrough chain conveyor, by which the trough B of said eo11- veyerextends, as shown, from the bottom of said pit obliquely upward to an ydesired point or elevation at which the material is to be dischargedinto a suitable trough or chute, from which it may descend by gravityinto any desired receptacle or receptacles. This conveyer-trough l3, aswell as the chute 1), into which the material is discharged from theupper end of the conveyer-trough, is properly secured to and supported.by a suitable franm-work, (seen at A,) which framework also properl ysupports at the different localities shown a series of shafts, uponwhich are mounted the series of chain-wheels or sprocket-witeels c, f,g, and 71, which operate to support and over or around which "runs theendless comever-chain l, which is supposed to be driven by any suitablemotive power applied to any desirable one of said sprocket-w!ieels.

The endless ctmveyer-chain l is provided in the usual manner withflights I, which during the lower run of said chain co-operate in themanner shown and well understood with the floor or bottom of theconveyer-trough l5.

Innnediately over the bottom of the pit and running transverselythereof, is located the usual surface t racl; or rail\\'a v,'n, on whichtravel the car or cars .l, which ln-ing the coal to be elevated, andfrom which the coal is dumped or discharged in the usual and welll nownmanner into the feed-spout 0, which supplies it to the lower portion ofthe trough B of the chain conveyor.

In the operation of the contrivance or apparatus the coal dischargedfrom the dumpor i ear .T directly into the feed-chute o descends bygravity into the lower port ion of the trough 13 of the chain eonveyer,from whence it is contimu'msly carried or fed oblitpiely upward withinsaid trough B, in the usual and wellknown manner, by the flights of theeonveyer-chain, the material being discharged, as clearly illustratta'lat Fig. '1, in the usual manner, into the chute D or any other desiredreceptacle; but, unlike t rough conveyors with endless ti ighted chains,as heretofore employed in connection with such t'eed'spouts and ears asl have shown, the c'nveycrapparatus in my case has the endless chainar-g ranged, as shown, to make a complete circuit round about the earand feed-spout 0, so that, as clearly illustrated, there is never anyinterference of the coal being ln'indled with the upper run of thetlighted chain. Furthermore, by reason of having only the lower run ofthe chain and the trough of the conveyor located beneath the car andwithin the pit '0, this pit may be made much more shallow than it washeretofore possible to make it with a given degree of inclination to theconveyor-trough l3 and a given height of elevation of the upperdischarge end of said. trough, all of which is of great advantage, bothwith. reference to economy in originally constructing the apparatus andas to durability, econonly of power in running the chain. conveyer, andnon-liability of derangement of the conveyer by clogging of any portionof the upper run of its chain with particles of coal.

Of course the precise arrangement of the circuitous endless chainpassing around or (.mcompassin the car and the surface track and theexact proportitnls ot the parts shown are not material to my invention,the pith or of which lies in such a combination or arrangement of theendless tlightet'l chain of the trough chain conveyer with the supplyear and the track on which it is to be supported as brings only thelower run of the endless chain and the trough of the conveyer beneaththe car, while the upper run of the chain passes round about andover thecar and the surface railroad.

\Vhat I therefore claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

In an apparatus or (O1lllll'vfi lltle for translating coal from thednmping-ears of a surface railroad to a higher elevation, thecombination, with the usual pit located beneath the surface track andadapted to aceon'nnodate the lowermost portion of the chain-coir veyertrough and to receive the coal as discharged from the dum 'ling-carslocated on said track, of first, the obliquely-arranged eonveyer-troughhaving its lowermost end located within said pit and its upper end at, ahigher elevation, and, second, the tligl'ited endless coliveyer-ehainlntving its lower run arranged to operate in conjunction with saidtrough, and having its upper run arranged to encompass the track and thedumping-ear which may be located theretm, the whole constructed andoperating in substantially the manner hereinbefore described, for thepurposes set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto setmy hand this liith day of July,1858.

JAM ES M, DODGE.

in presence elf- E. R. Lownnnn, JOHN DUNN.

